Philippine Democracy Under Threat

The young man, Jake, 22 years old and single, laughed when I asked him whom he voted for in the local elections for mayor. He said he abstained, but he went to the house of the mayor and received a payment all the same. "Why not", he reasoned, "it was for free everyone was going there". 

The mayor was "reelected" and his local family dynasty, linked to a bigger family dynasty became more influential. His father before him had been mayor several times and then became a congressman. The families of the elites are connected by marriage and by political allegiance to candidates for the presidency. Family dynasties have, in reality, replaced political parties; the children of the politician usually succeed the parent in office. In Philippine democracy allegiances shift and change with the shift in political power.   

That is the way it is in Philippine democracy. Votes are bought and those candidates with the most money and favors to give away will get back into power. They use that power to establish their reign continually through relatives. It is the dance of the dynasties that rule through the so-called democratic process in the country. It is flawed and what remains of the democratic process is under threat from its own inherent weakness.

The top family dynasties are immensely wealthy. In the Philippines there are eight leading US dollar billionaires and estimates claim that 1% of the populations are super rich and control 70 % of the economy and the wealth. There are ten million in poverty and 5.3 million in extreme poverty. Many of them will sell their "democratic" vote to the highest bidder. Political power is essential for the dynasties to survive. The constitution demands an end to dynastic families but no legislation has been passed banning them.

The power of patronage is nothing new but a hangover of the client-ruler system that dominated the Philippines since the Spanish era. Then the rich families pacified the submissive poor and hungry with handouts of small favors. The poor were so miserable they took what they could get and were docile clients of the ruling families. The Spanish saw that their ruling class owned the land and property and the poor worked it for them. Eventually the poor rebelled and overthrew the Spanish elite but the properties are still controlled by the remaining wealthy elite passed down through the generations.

They ruled and reaped the riches and still do through their successors. They dominate the Philippine congress where most members are millionaires and they are there to promote and protect the business and political interests of their dynastic backers. The poor and lower middle class of workers are excluded from the political process and many sell their vote. Surveys show that the average approval rating of Philippine democracy is between 60 to 80 percent among Filipinos. In September 2017 it was a 86 % approval rating of those polled and this has dropped six points.

Although the system of government is based on the US model of  elected representatives in two houses and a strong presidency, it is usually the president who gets the congress to support him by offering financial incentives to the congressional representatives and senators. It's reality that payouts win support.

This is the pork barrel system of doling out huge sums to the politicians to buy their support and most swing from opposition to back the president whoever he or she may be. While the Supreme Court ruled that pork barrel payouts are illegal it is still done one way or the other. But the President can also hurt the business interests of those in congress who oppose him.  

However Filipinos are a very friendly, tolerant, and forgiving people and they have learned to accept and live with reality. They accept the age old "Golden Rule", meaning that the rich have the gold, and they rule. The average Filipino does not have any idea how the ruling class or the political oligarchy could be changed or even if it should be changed. The ideal of real democracy "For the people, by the people, with the people", has never been really present in the experience of the people. So-called democracy has been "By the rich, for the rich" with the poor excluded.

The ordinary people have no independent ordinary person as an alternative political leader with a structure that could match and beat the family dynasty system to win an election or the money to buy enough votes.  The most recent elections typified these contending dynastic family feuds. Five contenders of the elite families backed by various financial vested interests fought each other for the presidency. They divided the vote and dissipated the vote buying power of the traditional dynasties and their ambition and greed left the door open for a populist outsider from a minority family dynasty. The people saw that it was a chance to break away from the divided feuding traditional politicos and vote for a charismatic newcomer, a mayor from Davao City.  He was running as an anti-elitist strongman and he became a celebrity. The close links with his  vice-presidential candidate being Bong Bong Marcos with the support of the Marcos billions victory was assured. Although Mr. Marcos did not get elected vice-president it was a close call. 

Democracy today is challenged by the congress as they try to form a body to change the constitution and form a federal system as the Presidents wants. This would transfer greater power to the dynastic families ruling in their area of influence. Many proposed changes are self-serving proposals.  Democracy flawed as it is, will be all the more weakened if they get their way. 

On Being Fully Human

 

The deplorable remarks of Philippine congressman and famous world boxing title holder Manny Pacquiao wherein he described gay people as “worse than animals” are vile comments that are to be condemned, rejected and repudiated in the strongest terms possible. He has since apologized.

We as humans have to recognize and respect the dignity of every human person and end discrimination of all kinds whether it be based on race, religion, gender, culture or social and economic status.  As Pope Francis says, “Who are we to judge?”

US presidential candidate Donald Trump  wants to build a wall to stop Mexican migrants and has insulted and condemned them as criminals and rapists and has called for the banning of Muslims coming into the United  States. In response, the Pope said “A person who only thinks about building walls and not of bridges is not Christian, this is not gospel.”

Strong words of truth for those super rich who exploit and condemn the poor to lives of hardship and need. Christianity is based on the example and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth and the most important, outstanding value that he gave his life for was love and service to  the poor and the needy and  equality among  all humans. That is a value rejected by the secular and materialistic world that has ignored what it means to be human. They allegedly only know of what it means to be rich. 

Even children and people in old age with disabilities are disposable based on the economic costs to care for them. The immoral politicians and their rich supporters who get them into office prefer to abort children, deny medical support to disabled children and allow them to die or pressure the elderly to commit assisted or planned suicide. The tyrants of war are bombing, gassing and starving their fellow human beings into submission and extermination in Syria.

The right of all is to be accepted, respected, supported and free to love and be loved. It’s a basic human right to have the opportunity to a life of dignity and economic sustainability. But too many corrupt and immoral and discriminating politicians and billionaires rule the world. When 62 people have more wealth than half the world’s poorest, then we know that democracy has failed and might is declared to be right. This we have to oppose and we must promote the right of all especially the poor to a life free of discrimination and to live in a society based on human dignity and social justice. 

As the BBC report puts it, Oxfam found that since 2010 the wealth of the richest 62 people - according to the Forbes' billionaires list- has risen by 44 percent while the wealth of the poorest 3.5 billion people fell by 41 percent.  The average annual income of the poorest 10 percent has risen by less than $3 (2.75 euros) a year in the past 25 years.

The billionaire Philippine boxer became a congressman, as did many other members of the Philippine Congress, not on the strength of their wisdom and knowledge and ability to lead and legislate for 100 million Filipinos but on the mindless hoopla and media blitz surrounding their status as an entertainer or celebrity.

Movie stars have made it to the Congress and Senate with ease and have failed to deliver a performance worthy of a good actor. While there are many good, decent and intelligent representatives in the Congress where 292 members make up the lower house and 24 in the Senate, many have little or no ability or insufficient experience and knowledge for the important task.

Some are there as representatives, not of the voters, whose votes they buy with the money of the super rich tycoons and the barons with billions whom they are beholden to. The votes of the legislators in Congress are bought and sold to approve laws favoring one industry, business conglomerate or other foreign-vested interests.

In other words, Congress being dominated by millionaires tends to serve the rich rather than the poor. They do not see them as fully human.  To the filthy rich, the poor are teeming masses of inferior creatures living in the dirt and disease-infested slums where their hovels squat in the towering shadows of the glittering condominiums of the rich. 

In the aftermath of the comment of 37-year old Congressman Manny Pacquiao, the media  should  ask the candidates running for office in the May elections  to name at least three of the unique attributes of being human, what makes one truly homo sapiens.

That question when asked is usually met with a stunned silence. It’s an unusual  as many people have seldom if ever thought about themselves as being a different kind of animal and are not aware of what makes them fully human.

The wise philosopher directing his students to a perfect life advised them to “Know Thyself.” It is attributed to Socrates but to many other Greek philosophers also. Knowing and being constantly aware of what makes us uniquely human and above the other animal species gives us a greater self-knowledge and richer, fuller life and we will come to respect and value every other human life.

The great dictum “Do to others as you would want them to do to you” is a guiding light and to live a life of dignity we must know and be aware that no person is lower or “worse than animals.” We are also spiritual beings endowed with unique attributes and abilities. You have just to ask yourself what are they.